QC Mayor Belmonte warns COVID-19 vaccine line-jumpers

A health worker receives the Sinovac Biotech’s Coronavac vaccine on the first day of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) inoculation drive in the Philippines, at the Lung Center of the Philippines, Quezon City, Metro Manila, March 1, 2021. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez

MANILA, Philippines — Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte has issued warnings to those who will jump the queue for the COVID-19 vaccine and to the city health workers who will allow line-jumping to happen.

Taking to her social media accounts, Belmonte said the city government will look into the alleged cases of city health workers who are inoculating non-frontliners with the COVID-19 vaccine despite not being included in the priority list.

“We will look into all of these allegations. If proven, we won’t let them get away with this,” said Belmonte. “Gagawin namin ang lahat upang matiyak na sila’y mapatawan ng parusa para matuto. (We’ll do everything to make sure that they’ll be punished so that they’ll learn from their actions.)”

“Kapag hindi natin sinunod ang batas, hindi na tayo mabibigyan ng bakuna na kailangan ng ating health workers upang magampanan ang kanilang trabaho nang walang nakaambang panganib.”

(If we don’t follow the law, then we will not be given any more vaccines needed by our health workers to perform their jobs safely.)

City Legal Officer Orlando Casimiro said those involved in the irregular administration of the vaccines will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and that administrative or even criminal charges could be filed.

Casimiro said those who violated Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and Republic Act No. 11332 or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act will be slapped with charges.

Both private citizens and city workers will be charged, Casimiro said.

Any involved police officer will face administrative complaints before the Department of Interior and Local Government and the People’s Law Enforcement Board, the city government said.

/MUF